


Sternum

by reuspuer



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, team taka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 23:04:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15650754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reuspuer/pseuds/reuspuer
Summary: Sasuke has too many thoughts on his mind to sleep so he takes a personal trip in the night. When he comes back he sees something complicated. Revelations are made.





	Sternum

**Author's Note:**

> I do hint at Itasasu but Itachi is not in this story. I bring him up because he is the center of Sasuke's life in every aspect. If mentions of it feel out of character to you or make you uncomfortable I would suggest looking elsewhere.   
> This is my first fanfiction and I intend to continue writing in Sasuke's point of view for future works. I do not deviate from canon I merely add to it. If I happen to have typos it is due to my failing eyesight for I have scanned this four times.

         To be born again. No one got a gift like that. As much as Sasuke tried to push the useless thought out of his head it crept up on him. His mind had a knack for keeping him restless. Even if he were given the chance to restart, he would stubbornly decline anyway. Running away from the consequences of one’s own mistakes was beneath him. He knew his mind was playing with the idea solely due to Itachi. Glimpses of a different childhood were quickly swept away. Sasuke would never let himself fall in love with that false world. Everything that had happened to him in the past molded him into who he was now. The pain Itachi endured couldn't just be wiped away for a selfish desire to have spent more time with him. Itachi had made his decisions and that was law to Sasuke. He’d never try to control or override his brother’s will. Each of Itachi's actions and in turn, the consequences of them were the mark he left; the only trace of him that remained.

         Sasuke shifted under the covers that were now trapping unwanted heat to his body. Sweat matted his clothes and hair reflecting the misery in his head. Realizing sleep at this point would be futile if his bedroll remained an oven, he silently tore the sheet away and laid still as the cool night air wafted onto his damp skin. As the breeze hit the moisture coating him, he began to feel relief. He swallowed revealing a parched tongue and his throat stuck. Sasuke's keen eyes searched in the darkness for his supply bag which held a seal for drinking water. It would be easier to pilfer Suigetsu’s water bottle, but by now his teammate would have sucked it dry. Sasuke's lips parted and breathed in to alleviate the desert inside him. 

         Stretching made him yawn but also released the tension he had not realized had formed due to stress. Gradually he got on his feet and opted against putting his sandals on; for the earth felt right on his soles. Sasuke surveyed the camp Taka had put together hours before. There was evidence of a fire which had been put out to lessen the likelihood of unwanted guests as well as three heads of hair peeking out from under covers. All of them had been adamant that there was no need to keep watch but that was because of the silent understanding that none of them recalled how to sleep for longer than a few hours at a time. If trouble did happen to find them, then surely there would be at least one person suffering from _insomnia_ to take notice. Sasuke’s lip cracked as it curled into a smirk thinking about how all four of them could very well be awake. The tip of his tongue and front teeth pinched the blood away.  


         With one last look at his teammates, he crouched down and slid two fingers under the flap of his supply bag. Feeling the contents of the pack, he locked on and pulled out the scroll containing drinking water. Adjacent to his supplies, Sasuke placed the scroll down and began to unfurl the parchment until he found the proper seal. In no time a water bottle was summoned with a light puff of air caused by the displacement. Unfortunately this bottle was empty. After 6 more summons Sasuke began to piece together a trend. All of his bottles were empty. This must have been Suigetsu’s handiwork. He wondered when exactly Suigetsu had done this and it irritated him that he hadn't noticed. Sasuke supposed that was the price of needing powerful people at your side. Narrowing his eyes and nipping at the flesh of his upper lip, he looked at Karin and Juugo. Those two had better have empty bottles too. 

         Snapping himself back to rational thought, Sasuke grabbed his teammates scrolls. It would be disastrous if they were left with zero drinking water during a dry spell. Pursing his lips at Suigetsu, he snatched the dumbass’s bottle as well. Feeling the weight in the bottle, he was amused to find there was actually water in it. Engulfing the straw in his mouth, he drank; considering interest overdue. Wetness leaked onto his lips but they still felt dry as ever. Water hadn’t solved his parched tongue and swallowing didn’t do a damn thing except remind him. Thoughts of a small creek babbling down a slate bed started to form. They had passed it about a mile before they made camp for the night. At the time it had been just the place to wash their day clothes and to put on their nightwear. An opportunity like that didn't come often to them so they had taken their time to revel in it before the pains of hunger had pushed them to find camp. Sasuke recalled how long it had taken them to find the right place to settle down. He figured he could make it back within the next hour if he kept a steady pace. 

         After wedging his feet into his sandals, he was off into the dark only coming to a gradual halt when he heard the hush of the stream. Taking a moment to steady his breath, he brushed off the foliage that had attached itself to him. Reaching into his pack, he placed the respective scrolls down onto a slab of slate. Methodically he summoned and filled each bottle by dipping them into the crisp water. Light was incredibly dim; for the moon was only a sliver in the sky clouded by wisps of cotton. Hues of blue and grey danced on the surface and pooled into the bottles; trapping the color inside. Concluding with Suigetsu’s water bottle, Sasuke’s innate reaction was to get up and leave. His business was done after all. Maybe it was the weariness of his life making a calm moment like this captivating; or perhaps it was his itchy throat burning for the water right in front of him. Either way, he wasn’t going anywhere yet. 

         Shutting his lids called to mind the dull ache of dry eyes that evaporated as he continued to hold them closed. Withdrawal from vision caused the clammy cloth around him to become overbearing. He lazily undressed and hung his nightwear on low hanging branches in order for the breeze to pick up the moisture and carry it off into the night. One foot at a time Sasuke dipped into the shallow water. Current played with his weight; almost as if it were curious if it could pull him away without catching his attention. Carefully, he crouched and cupped water onto himself in order to wash the grime away. Sasuke’s hair repelled the water causing drips to land on his chest and back. Shivers from the sensation irritated him; so he ran his hands through the oily strands which in turn left him feeling gross again. Lowering to his knees, he dipped his head into the falling stream. Icy fingers tousled his hair unrelentingly; until it seemed like a lost cause. 

         Removing himself from the water allowed for the wind to tackle the liquid on his skin. It brought him to a more openly vulnerable state. Images of a breathtaking smile. Gentle touches by a strong hand. Unresolved lingering feelings. Tightness welled behind his eyes and brought him out of his head. Quickly summoning a towel, Sasuke shut that door no sooner than it had been opened. The rough covering of the towel stirred warmth back into his body and reengaged him into the land of the living. Clothes were thrown on and items stored. He had not washed his nightwear due to how long it would have taken to dry in the absence of the sun. He remembered his estimate of how long he had planned to be gone.  


         Desire to be under a blanket made returning to camp a blur. When he was about to lie back down he remembered the scrolls. Tucking each one into its proper nesting place went smoothly. It wasn’t until he placed Suigetsu’s water bottle down that he discovered an absent bed roll. He turned to check Juugo and Karin’s beds only to find them empty as well. The initial hollowness of finding oneself alone wore off quickly, for Sasuke had experience cutting down such feelings. Muscles tightened in his jaw as he surveyed the scene. Immediate danger had barely won out the exhaustion that led him to want to lie down and forget about the whole thing as he activated his Sharingan for traces of life. Sasuke's brow furrowed in irritation. He did not want to be dealing with three missing teammates. Where the hell were they?

**Author's Note:**

> Critiques and thoughts would be appreciated because I would like to become a better writer. Sasuke has a weariness about him that I believe others often overlook. My intention for writing this is to bring up notions that Kishimoto hints at and explore them to the extend that they deserve. I have begun to work on the second chapter so it should be out within the following week if not sooner. Rest in peace to all the Naruto fanfiction of the 2000s that has long been left unresolved.


End file.
